🔍 Overview
After pointing your domain's A record to Website Studio, you may see an ERR_TIMED_OUT error when visiting your site. This is a common issue and is almost always caused by one of a few configuration gaps — even when DNS propagation appears complete. This article walks you through the most likely causes and the exact steps to fix them.
⚙️ How Custom Domains Work in Website Studio
When you connect a custom domain to your Website Studio site, two things must be true at the same time:
- Your domain's A record must point to the correct Website Studio IP address.
- Website Studio must have your custom domain entered and saved inside the platform so it knows to serve your site when that domain is requested.
If either side is missing or mismatched, the connection will time out rather than load your site.
✅ Step 1 — Verify the A Record Is Correct
Before troubleshooting inside the platform, confirm your DNS is configured correctly.
- Log in to your domain registrar or DNS provider (for example, GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Cloudflare).
- Locate the A record for your root domain (shown as @ or your bare domain name).
- Confirm the IP address matches exactly what Website Studio provided in its domain setup instructions. Even a single digit difference will cause a timeout.
- Check that the TTL (Time to Live) is set to 3600 or lower to allow faster propagation.
To verify propagation independently, use a tool such as whatsmydns.net and search for your domain's A record. Wait until the majority of global locations show the correct IP before continuing.
⚙️ Step 2 — Confirm the Custom Domain Is Saved in Website Studio
DNS propagation alone is not enough. Website Studio must also be configured to recognise your domain.
- In the left sidebar, click Website Studio and open your project.
- Go to your site's Settings or Domain section within the builder.
- Confirm your custom domain (for example, precisionspringfieldcurls.com) is entered exactly as it appears — no trailing slashes, no www prefix unless you also set up a CNAME for www.
- Save the settings if you make any changes.
If the domain field is blank or contains a typo, the platform will not route incoming traffic to your site, which causes a timeout on the visitor's end.
🌐 Step 3 — Check for www vs. Root Domain Mismatch
A common source of timeouts is a mismatch between the domain version visitors use and the one configured in DNS.
- Root domain (precisionspringfieldcurls.com) requires an A record pointing to Website Studio's IP.
- www subdomain (www.precisionspringfieldcurls.com) requires a separate CNAME record pointing to your Website Studio domain handle, or a second A record.
If your visitor types www. but you only configured the root A record, the www version will time out. Set up both records if you want both versions to work, and ensure Website Studio has the correct version saved as your custom domain.
🔒 Step 4 — Check for Conflicting DNS Records
Conflicting records can silently block traffic even after a correct A record is added.
- Look for duplicate A records pointing to different IP addresses for the same hostname. Delete any that do not point to Website Studio's IP.
- Check for a CNAME record on the root domain. A root-level CNAME conflicts with an A record and can cause unpredictable timeouts. Remove it if present.
- If you use Cloudflare, make sure the proxy (orange cloud) is turned off for the A record. Cloudflare's proxy can intercept traffic and prevent Website Studio from completing its SSL handshake, which causes timeout errors.
⏱️ Step 5 — Wait for Full Propagation and SSL Provisioning
Even after everything is configured correctly, you may need to allow additional time.
- DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate fully worldwide, though most resolve within 1–4 hours.
- Website Studio automatically provisions an SSL certificate once it detects your domain is pointing to it correctly. This process can take up to 30 minutes after propagation completes.
- During SSL provisioning, the site may still time out or show a security warning. This is temporary.
Try accessing your site in a private or incognito browser window to avoid cached DNS results while you wait.
💡 Quick Troubleshooting Checklist
- A record IP matches Website Studio's provided IP exactly.
- Custom domain is entered and saved inside Website Studio settings.
- No conflicting A records or root-level CNAME records exist.
- Cloudflare proxy is disabled for the A record (if using Cloudflare).
- www and root domain are both configured if both are needed.
- At least 1–4 hours have passed since the DNS change.
- Tested in a private browser window to bypass local DNS cache.
🆘 Still Seeing a Timeout?
If you have completed every step above and your custom domain is still timing out, our team can inspect your specific domain configuration directly. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.